African Risk Capacity (ARC) is a Specialised Agency of the African Union.[1] The ARC Agency leads the ARC Group, a development finance institution that provides financial tools and infrastructure to help countries manage natural disaster risk and adapt to climate change. It counts 32 AU countries as members and is supervised by a ministerial level governing board elected by its Conference of the Parties. In 2014, ARC launched its initial risk insurance product for member states through its financial affiliate the ARC Insurance Company Limited (ARC Ltd). ARC Ltd is a specialist hybrid mutual insurance company and Africa’s first ever disaster insurance pool, aggregating risk by issuing insurance policies to participating governments and transferring it to the international market. ARC aims to reach up to 30 countries with drought, flood and cyclone coverage totalling up to USD 1.5 billion in sum insured by 2020. The ARC design and establishment phase was managed by WFP, under a MoU with the African Union, and WFP continues to provide administrative services support to the ARC Agency through an administrative services agreement.
Emerging infectious diseases pose an increasing threat to health and development in Africa. Slow, unpredictable funding amplifies both the risk and impact of outbreaks. Following the Ebola crisis that ravaged West Africa, African Ministers of Finance requested the ARC Agency Secretariat in March 2015 to develop a product to address countries’ financing needs to contain outbreaks of viruses and diseases common to the African continent, and in the event of spread or secondary transmission. In the case of Ebola, financing was only mobilized (depending on the affected country) four to nine months after the first cases were reported. According to ARC and its partners’ analysis, beginning the Ebola response two months earlier could have reduced total number of deaths by 80% in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Global outbreak and epidemic (O&E) response is shifting to promote faster and more predictable funding, and country ownership of the response. ARC aims to achieve both of these goals in a single mechanism by applying its existing infrastructure and programmatic approach to African-led pandemic risk management. The goal is to improve rapid detection and financial and operational response capacity to contain outbreak events at the national level with better coordination and standard-setting at the continental level. ARC insurance would fund pre-prepared O&E contingency plans and with payout triggers coming from accurate detection of distinct epidemiologic events. ARC O&E would address many of the problems inherent in O&E response by:
• Establishing a pool of capital that can be rapidly deployed for early response at the national level
• Incentivizing countries to acknowledge O&E by tying declaration of epidemiologic events (the International Health Regulation (IHR) reporting requirements) to immediate financial payout
• Facilitating better health systems by strengthening preparedness (e.g. through better surveillance mechanisms, in particular) and financial risk capacity at the national level
• Promoting pan-African and sub-regional solidarity and coordination
• Linking the African Union’s and its partners’ investments in the strengthening of national health systems, country preparedness and the new African Centre for Disease Control into a more comprehensive risk management strategy for countries and therefore the continent.
ARC aims to develop and launch an O&E product for one to two pathogen families for at least one to three pilot countries by end 2017.
Responsibilities
Based in ARC Headquarters in Johannesburg, the Lead Advisor for the O&E Programme will be responsible for managing the research and development work of the O&E insurance programme and then leading the initiative to a successful launch and first operational phase. This will include managing the insurance product design and testing, the development of contingency planning standards and guidelines for O&E, and developing and leading the country-level O&E work programme to be integrated into on-going ARC country dialogues and programmatic activities and supported by Member States, important regional partners like the African Union and donors alike. Under the overall supervision of the Director General and the direct supervision of the Director of Research & Development, and working closely with other senior ARC staff and ARC Ltd, the Lead Advisor will have the following responsibilities:
Programmatic
- Preparing and managing the Programme of Work of the O&E programme
- Managing the recruitment and supervision of consultants and/or firms contributing to the research and development of the ARC O&E programme, ensuring work is produced on time with high quality and meeting the specific needs for ARC.
- In close collaboration with ARC Ltd, managing the development of an O&E insurance product that is accepted by ARC Member States.
- In close collaboration with the ARC Department of Operations:
- Developing O&E’s contingency planning standards and guidelines that will define country eligibility criteria to participate in the O&E programme and the continental standard for rapid national outbreak response, and ensuring that O&E is an effective, welcomed and useful tool for ARC Member States and the African pandemic risk management community;
- Developing and executing, in collaboration with ARC Member States, an in-country capacity building programme for O&E participation, identifying regional and in-country partners to support the required work and additional ARC Agency staffing needs to help countries fulfil O&E eligibility criteria;
- Integrating O&E into the package of products provided by the ARC Agency and ARC Ltd to ARC Member States, ensuring incentives are strengthened for country participation in ARC;
- With the support of the ARC M&E unit, defining a practical in-country M&E framework for O&E country participation that is accepted by Member States, partners and donors;
Strategic
· Developing and executing a country, regional institution (political and research) and donor political engagement strategy to cultivate an understanding in and securing participation of ARC Member States in the ARC O&E programme;
- Developing and implementing a communication strategy to ensure ARC is involved in the on-going dialogues around pandemic risk management, reaching out to the right partners and is making a positive and effective impact in the pandemic risk management planning and financing space as a whole, for Africa, as well as for its Member States;
· Supporting the management in liaising with AU Member States, donors and other strategic partners to secure support for and input to an ARC O&E programme from the outset and attracting as many ARC Member States as possible to participate in the pilot programme;
- Advising the management on political developments that could affect O&E objectives and developing potential strategies for navigating them;
- Identifying opportunities for influencing regional and global policy agenda on African pandemic risk management and opportunities for partnerships;
· Securing financial support for ARC and O&E premiums, as appropriate;
· Representing ARC to ARC Member States or other conferences and meetings, as required;
· Supporting the ARC Director General, ARC Director of Research & Development or other senior ARC Staff as required on the above.
Qualifications & Experience Required
Education:
· Advanced university degree in Public Health, Economics, Epidemiology or related field, Risk Management, Development Studies or similar relevant discipline.
Experience:
· At least ten years of postgraduate progressively responsible professional experience in relevant research, programme development or complex project management.
· Solid understanding of and extensive experience with the public health sector in Africa, surveillance / laboratory networks, capacities, practices and historical responses.
· Experience with development programme evaluations.
· Experience with (re)insurance and contingency financing an asset.
· Expertise and experience in capacity building and designing and managing training programmes for developing countries, in particular in Africa.
· Experienced in working on public health projects and issues, with a working knowledge of the CDC, WHO, MSF or other actors in the pandemic response and risk management arena, and the international dialogues and debates on disease surveillance, prevention, control and response, with significant work experience, networks and partnership building in Africa and with sovereigns.
Technical Skills & Knowledge:
· Excellent writer, communicator and team-player.
· Excellent skills in stakeholder management, negotiation, communication, report-writing, IT, Excel, MIS and delivering quality products on time.
- International experience must include Africa experience.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, team-centered, “start-up” environment.
- Ability to be resourceful and effectively navigate new environments.
- Ability to complete tasks on time and uphold ARC standards for high quality output without constant supervision.
- Demonstrated ability to take a strategic view across a large complex programme.
- General knowledge of or experience working with African Union, NEPAD, Regional Economic Communities, Regional Technical Institutions.
Competencies:
· Self-starter, with strong experience of managing new and developing projects and bringing them to successful fruition, and demonstrated ability to take a strategic view across a large complex programme.
- Strong interpersonal, partnership and diplomatic skills with ability to establish effective working relations with people at all levels and of different national and cultural backgrounds;
- Ability to think creatively, proactively, strategically and problem-solve with flexibility and adaptability;
- Ability to prioritize multiple tasks under tight deadlines in a timely manner in a dynamic environment;
Language:
- Fluency in oral and written French and English.
HOW TO APPLY:
Terms and Conditions:
Selected candidate will be employed on a fixed-term contract with a probationary period of one year to solely support the ARC Agency. He/she will not be entitled to any reassignment, transfer, promotion or conversion to any other type of appointment with WFP; and may not be considered as internal candidate for vacancies in WFP, or the United Nations.
WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package, including basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, travel and shipment allowances, 30 days’ annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, pension plan and medical insurance.
Please visit the following websites for detailed information on working with ARC and WFP.http://www.africanriskcapacity.org Learn more about the African Risk Capacity. http://www.wfp.org Click on: “Where we work” and “Our work” to learn more about WFP’s operations. http://icsc.un.org Click on: Quick Links > Salary Scales > by date http://www.unstaffmobility.org Learn more about countries where the UN operates
Application Procedures:
Step 1: Register and create your online CV.
Step 2: Click on “Description” to read the position requirements and “Apply” to submit your application.
NOTE: You must complete Step 1 and 2 in order for your application to be considered for this vacancy.
Deadline for applications: MARCH 10, 2016
Qualified female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply
WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.
No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.
REF: 16-0020499** ;
